Forever
by MyVampireBunny
Summary: After waking from a nightmare, Aido comforts her the only way he nows how. Part of Waking Up series.


**Forever**

His arms were wrapped around her silent, sleeping form, the occasional mumble of a dream breaking the silence that seemed to engulf the entire room. He watched her take small, shallow breaths and found that his heart, no matter how weak it seemed to be, was pounding against his chest without mercy. For fear that the sound would wake her, he closed his eyes and tried to picture a crowded city street, home to cruel faces and souls.

But through the crowd she stood, her graceful form still as she examined her surroundings with a gentle smile. She was always able to see the good in things, and that made his heart pound even worse. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he fought to forget her, she was always there. Always eating away his sanity without realizing exactly what it was that she was doing.

As if it were a habit he found to hard to shake, he pulled her closer and bent his head down to inhale her familiar scent. He sighed before pulling away, hating how, although he was holding her in his arms, he would never have her. He would never be able to love her with the same love his beloved Pureblood leader was able to give her. His love for her would always have to be hidden, tucked safely behind all the other emotions he expressed so casually.

"Yuuki…" he sighed, once again bending down to take in her scent, so familiar from all the nights they had spent like this. "When will you stop torturing me so?"

As if she had heard the question and was honoring him with a reply, she mumbled a string of gibberish in her sleep. Plagued by a nightmare, she began to squirm in the vampire's arms.

"Yuuki." He called softly, his lips over her ear with the intention of freeing her of the fears she let loose in her dreams. Still she squirmed, and still she slept. "Yuuki." He said, his voice just a bit louder. "Yuuki, wake up."

"No!" She shrieked, bolting upright.

With the light from the moon streaming through the open window, he was able to clearly see the tears that fell from her eyes. "Yuuki." He whispered, leaning forward to wipe them away with slow, delicate strokes of his thumb. He savored the feel of her skin against his fingertips. "Yuuki, it's okay. You're awake now."

"A…Aido…?"

"I'm right here." He whispered gently, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his embrace, knowing it was where she belonged.

With desperation she clung to his shirt, burying her head in the fabric and letting herself drown in the familiar scent. "Please don't leave me!"

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered reassuringly. "I'm staying with you as long as you want me to."

"Forever." She mumbled, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "Stay with me forever."

She pulled away to look into his eyes, her eyes hazy with sleep and innocence. For him, forever didn't seem long enough. "Yuuki…" he whispered, saying her name to calm his pounding heart. He wondered if she could hear it, and if she could, what she thought about it.

"Aido." She whispered.

And that was all it took.

Aido, deciding it best that he move as slow as possible, began to lean down, his eyes closing ever so slowly as her lips came so close to his own that he could feel her warm breath against them. Yuuki closed the gap quickly, not patient enough to even understand his lack of speed.

And the kiss that he had been yearning for for so long was in motion, their lips moving in a slow and steady rhythm. He pulled away to look into her eyes, the happiness inside them causing his heart to skip beats.

He leaned in once again to kiss her, this time, without mercy. He parted her lips with his tongue and explored her warmth. He held her tight in his embrace, afraid that if he let her go that she would never come back.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, loving how his silky locks felt wrapped up in her grip. Pushing back with the same intensity he was using, she sent his head spinning and his heart pounding. Feeling the familiar thump of his quickened heartbeat was a calming, soothing feeling.

He pulled away quickly to mumble some expected words, causing her breath to hitch with _un_expected emotion. "I love you." He said quickly, only to lean back in for more of the wonderful things she was able to make him feel through a kiss.

"I love you to." She whispered, causing him to grow still. "I always have."

"Yuuki."

"Forever?"

"Forever."


End file.
